


What is Truth anyway?

by NerdyNostalgia



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Confrontation, F/M, Follow canon but I change a few things, Major character death - Freeform, Past Relationships Mentioned - Freeform, Post-Canon, Rekindled Relationship, Secret Children, Secret Relationship, mostly canon, post-lok
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-12-09 09:00:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20992196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerdyNostalgia/pseuds/NerdyNostalgia
Summary: Katara is confronted by her children regarding a long buried secret. Forced to confess she is forced to re-evalute where her life is going. So she decides to take a chance she had previously denied herself. Zutara.I follow canon but change a few things so it's mostly canon compliant with a few original twists.





	What is Truth anyway?

“Mum, we need to talk.”

Katara stopped stirring the pot and turned to face her daughter. Kya stood in the middle of the room with her arms crossed and her brothers standing behind her. Katara could tell that her sons were nervous while her daughter was angry but it wasn’t something she hadn’t dealt with before.

She took a step towards her children with a smile on her face.

“Of course. What is this about?” She asked.

Kya sighed and let her arms fall down by her side. She looked at her brothers before taking a seat.

“Mum, when I ask you my question I, we want the truth. No denials, no distractions, no changing the subject. Just the truth.”

Katara nodded solemnly, wondering what her children could want to ask her but whatever it was sounded serious. Kya once again looked at her brothers, who nodded at her. She sighed again and looked at her mother.

“Is Fire Lord Izumi our sister?”

“What?” That was certainly not what Katara had been expecting to hear, “I-I don’t understand.”

“Mum, we deserve to know the truth. Is Fire Lord Izumi our half-sister?” Tenzin asked as he took a step forward.

“I, I, uhh…”

Katara said nothing else as she looked at her children. She began to feel panic rise in her chest and she wanted nothing more than to run away and put an end to this conversation.

“Why would you even ask such a question?” Katara hoped her voice didn’t actually sound as shaky as it did to her own ears.

Her children simply stared at her before Bumi sighed, “So it’s true then. Mum, were you ever going to tell us?”

Katara shook her head, “Not here. I…I will tell you. I’ll tell you everything. Just not here. Not now.”

“Then when?” Kya demanded.

“Tonight. In the caves behind the village.”

“I don’t understand why you can’t tell us now.” Tenzin complained.

Katara shook her head again, “Tonight. I promise.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard that before.” Bumi muttered under his breath and Katara felt her heart sink at the mistrust her own children showed in her. Did they really not trust that she would tell them the truth? Did her own children think so little of her?

“Tonight then. But we will get answers. If not from you then from Lord Zuko.” Kya said as she stood and walked out.

Bumi and Tenzin followed shortly after and Katara was left alone with her thoughts. She couldn’t believe what had just happened. She could feel herself shaking and sat down in the chair that Kya had vacated. She felt tears spring to her eyes and for the first time in a long time let those tears fall. Over the next few hours she let herself finally mourn for a child she had long ago given up. She knew now that she would have to tell the truth. She would have to tell the secret that she had kept hidden for so long.

Later that night the three siblings made their way to the caves. They had no idea what to expect and no idea what their mother would tell them. They had spent much of the day trying to process the fact that Izumi was really their half-sister.

Just what had happened between their mother and Lord Zuko?

They entered the dark caves and were surprised to find their mother already there. They couldn’t help but notice that her mother looked sad and it was evident she had been crying. Just what was the story that their mother was going to tell them?

“Mum. You promised us the truth.” Kya said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“And you’ll get it. I haven’t told this story since it all happened.”

“What happened?” Tenzin asked softly as he took a seat close to their mother.

“It all seems so long ago.” She replied.

“Take your time.” Tenzin said as he placed a hand on her knee. She smiled at him before turning to her other children.

“No. Kya is right. It’s time you knew the truth. Just promise me you won’t go around repeating this to just anyone.”

The three siblings nodded and waited for their mother to start her story. Katara looked at her children and felt nerves settle in her stomach.

“Well I suppose I should start at the beginning. Yes. Izumi is your sister.”

“But when did you and Lord Zuko…?” Bumi asked.

“It was a long time ago. You see, a few years after your father and I started seeing each other we got into a big argument and broke up. Or at least I assumed we had broken up as I had screamed at him that we were done. It seemed he hadn’t taken it as a full blown break up, but nonetheless he left and went to do some Avatar training. He was gone for five years.”

“Five years?!” Tenzin exclaimed.

“Indeed. When your father would do Avatar training you could never be too sure how long it would take as he often engaged with the Spirit World where time is very different. An hour to him could be a week to us there.”

“How did that result in you and Zuko?” Kya asked.

Katara took a deep breath, “Well, it didn’t.”

Her children opened their mouths but she put her hand up, “Not initially.”

Her children looked confused so Katara continued her story, “For the first two years I simply waited for your father. In fact I did little else.”

“Sounds familiar.” Kya whispered under her breath. Katara heard it but chose to ignore the comment.

“Then there was an assassination attempt on Zuko. I was asked to travel to the Fire Nation to heal him. While I was there he offered me the role of ambassador for the Southern Water Tribe as my father wouldn’t travel and Sokka and Suki had just had their first child so neither could travel.”

“So did you take the role?” Tenzin asked.

“I did. I stayed in the Fire Nation and worked to help build bridges between the nations. During that time Zuko and I got closer but didn’t act on our feelings. At least, not at first. It was another year before Toph confronted the two of us and told us quite explicitly to get our acts together and do something about the tension between the two of us.” Katara said.

She started laughing at the memory of Toph yelling at her and Zuko over breakfast to just shag each other’s brains out already as it was annoying to listen to their erratic heartbeats and know that they were walking on eggshells around each other while denying their mutual attraction. She had to admit she missed Toph and her brash and blunt ways. She wished she had done more to stay in contact.

“So what happened next?” Bumi asked. He was now riveted by the story of his mother’s life before she had had them.

Katara stopped laughing and all three of the siblings would swear that their mother blushed in that moment.

“We listened to Toph’s unconventional advice. We talked and decided that we would give what was between us a go. But we knew that it had to be a secret. Zuko’s reign was still new and many on the Fire Council at the time were traditionalist and old-fashioned. He had already had two attempts on his life and I didn’t want to be the cause of a third. We also worried about how Aang would react when he returned and if he found out.”

“Did dad ever know?” Kya asked.

“No. He never knew.”

“Why not?”

“Because we couldn’t bring ourselves to tell him.”

“You were scared of how he would react. You were scared of him.”

Katara had looked down at the floor before snapping her head up and shaking it violently, “No! I wasn’t! I could never be scared of Aang. Your father was a good man. Kind, generous and gave more to this world that it deserved.”

“Then why do you sound scared?! Okay, maybe you weren’t scared of _him_, but you were scared of him going into the Avatar state. So scared that you, what? Let him do whatever he wanted, let him get his way all the time fearful of what he would do if you told him no.” Kya argued.

Katara continued to shake her head, “No! That’s not true. It’s true that I didn’t want him going into the Avatar state but that doesn’t mean I was scared of him or let him get away with everything.”

“But you did let him get away with a lot you shouldn’t have.” Bumi said.

Katara stopped and looked at the furious faces of her son and daughter. Her heart ached at the resent that was clear to see on their faces. She knew that she and Aang had made a lot of mistakes when it came to their children but they had always loved them.

An awkward silence filled the cave and Tenzin shifted awkwardly. Having his own children had made him realise just how much their father had favoured him because he was an airbender. It had been a painful realisation and it was even more so upon realising how deeply hurt his siblings had been by their father's blatant favouritism. He avoided his mother’s gaze knowing she was expecting to be backed up by him as he had always defended their father from his siblings.

“It’s true mum.” He said as he kept his gaze on the floor.

“Tenzin.” Katara couldn’t keep the disappointment out of her voice and Tenzin winced at how the whole thing was uncomfortable.

“Mum, did you know that the Air Acolytes thought Avatar Aang only had one child? They thought I was his only son and where shocked to discover that Bumi and Kya existed.” Tenzin explained.

“They certainly didn’t hide their disappointment when they learned we weren’t airbenders.” Bumi grumbled.

Katara stared wide-eyed at her children, “What?”

Her children shrugged but said nothing else. Katara stared at them and could feel tears gathering. She could feel her heart break and she felt such sorrow for her children. Had Aang really not spoken of Bumi and Kya to the Air Acolytes? Had they really only known of Tenzin’s existence? They had been his attempt to rebuild the Air Nomads and he hadn’t included his own children! She couldn’t believe it! She didn’t want to believe it! But how could she not? How could Aang have played favourites with their children? For the first time she felt like she truly understood where her children’s resentment had come from. And there was nothing she could do to change it. Just how much had she overlooked or not known?

Silence filled the cave as each tried to process what had just been revealed. They knew there was nothing that could change what had happened. No matter how much they all wished for it to change.

“So what happened next?” Tenzin asked, hoping to get rid of the awkward silence.

“Where were we up to?” Katara asked, emotion affecting her voice and causing her to sniff a few times.

“You and Lord Zuko has just gotten together.” Tenzin replied.

“Ahh, yes. Well, we were together secretly for a year when Zuko came storming into his room where I had been waiting for him. He told me that the Fire Council had just informed him that the betrothal contract that Ozai had made for him when he was a baby would have to be honoured.”

“Lord Zuko’s marriage was arranged?” Bumi asked.

“It was. When he was young it was common for Fire Nation nobles to draw up betrothal contracts between their children. It was, and still is, a way of climbing the social ladder and maintaining power or wealth. Zuko had been betrothed to Mai, a childhood friend of his and his sister Azula, and while the two had been in a relationship at one time it hadn’t worked out, especially not after Mai did nothing to stop her father’s assassination attempt on Zuko’s life.”

“Wait, wait, wait! His own betrothed tried to kill him.” Bumi exclaimed.

“No. Her father did. But she knew of the plan’s existence and did nothing to stop it, nor did she warn Zuko of its existence.”

“Wow. Talk about a dysfunctional relationship.”

Katara nodded. She couldn’t deny that Zuko and Mai had been a tad unconventional in their relationship.

“But if the betrothal was to go ahead how did that affect the two of you?” Kya asked.

“Initially we simply planned to spend as much time together as we could before we would be forced to part ways…” Katara explained.

“But then you found out you were pregnant.” Kya finished.

Katara nodded, “I did.”

“So what did you do?” Tenzin asked.

“At first nothing. Mai had returned to the palace and she and Zuko had to put on a performance for the court. We continued to remain a secret.”

“Did she know?” Tenzin asked.

“She didn’t at first but she did find out. She caught us talking about it.”

“What did she do?”

“I don’t know what she did when she initially found out. All I know is that she confronted Zuko when they were alone and got him to confess to everything. Our relationship, the pregnancy. But I do know that what we did next was her idea. I don’t know why she helped us or did what she did but I will forever be thankful to her for it.”

The three looked at their mother confused and waited for her to continue, intrigued to know what happened next.

“She came up with the idea of pretending the pregnancy was hers so that Zuko could keep the child with him.”

“How?” Tenzin asked.

“Zuko and Mai were married pretty quickly and made it look as if they had conceived right away. Mai created the story that she wanted to have the child on Ember Island and to be left alone for the sake of the child’s health and safety. She made it very clear that this would be the only child she was willing to have and if the Council did anything that caused her stress or bother than it would be on their heads if anything happened to the child. Safe to say they left her alone after that. I was tasked with acting as her midwife and carer throughout the pregnancy. It gave us all the excuse we needed to carry the whole thing out.”

“So what? You just all went to Ember Island gave pretend updates to the Fire Nation, gave birth and left.” Bumi questioned.

“Not quite, but close enough.”

“What?!” All three exclaimed. They couldn’t believe their mother’s words!

“Shortly before I gave birth Mai asked to talk to Zuko. I didn’t learn about what they had discussed until later.”

“What did they discuss? How was none of this discovered?” Kya asked.

“It’s convoluted, I know. But believe me when I tell you it was for the best. As for what Mai and Zuko had discussed, well, she came up with a way for Zuko to keep the baby and she could get what she wanted.”

“What?”

“Mai didn’t want to be Fire Lady. In fact she despised the role. She hated politics and wanted to get as far away as possible. She had only ever put up with it for the sake of her friendship with Azusa and her love for Zuko. Mai also revealed that after she had left the palace after her father’s failed assassination attempt, that she had fallen in love with someone else. She wanted to be with them and she saw a way to achieve that.”

“How?”

“She would fake her own death.”

“What?”

“Did you ever learn what happened to Zuko’s mother?”

“Fire Lady Ursa? I thought he found her. But how is this relevant?” Tenzin said.

Katara nodded, “He did and trust me, it is. But did you ever learn what became of her after she was banished from the Fire Nation when Zuko was young?”

Each of her children shook their head.

“When Ursa left the Fire Nation she returned to her childhood home and visited a spirit known as the Mother of Faces. She wanted to change her face to protect herself from Ozai and prevent him from ever finding her. The Mother of Faces also offered to remove Ursa’s memories of her life as Fire Lady so she would never be tempted to seek her children out and put them in danger. Ursa agreed and lived as Noriko for many years.SHe even married her childhood sweetheart and had a child. She eventually got her memories and her face back. But that’s a story for another day.”

“How does this relate to Mai and Izumi?” Kya asked.

“Because Mai wanted to find the Mother of Faces herself and change her face. If she did so she would be free to live as she wanted and not as Fire Nation nobles dictated. So she came up with the idea that the birth was to be a difficult one. She would get sick and ‘die’ as a result. It would leave Zuko with an heir and her free to pursue the life she wanted.”

“What about you?”

“Me? I had to return to the Southern Water Tribe.”

“Why?”

“Well, about three months before I gave birth we received a letter from Aang. He had returned from Avatar training and was regaining his strength. He wasn't strong enough to travel as he had spent so much time in the Spirit World. Once he was fully recovered he would return to the Southern Water Tribe…”

“And to you.” Kya finished.

Katara nodded.

“I’m guessing that all happened then?” Bumi asked.

Katara nodded again, “It did. I gave birth and Mai feigned a sickness for three or four weeks before ‘dying’. She left in the cover of darkness and we assume she got what she wanted as I never saw or heard from her again. I have no idea if that was the case for Zuko. As for me I needed that month to recover and Zuko said he needed time with his daughter to ensure that she was healthy and that she would survive. Plus it gave him time to mourn. After that month I returned to the Southern Water Tribe and he to the Fire Nation. He took Izumi with him and that was the last time I saw her. That was the hardest day of my life, letting her go. I was such a mess. But I knew it needed to happen. Afterwards I returned to my tribe and waited for your father to return. Once he did we got back together and the rest is history.”

“Mum.” Tenzin felt his heart break for his mother. Being a father himself he knew how difficult it was to be away from his children, but to give your child up and know you’ll never see them again was the toughest but strongest decision a parent could make.

All three felt great admiration and sadness for their mother. She was far stronger than they had realised.

“And dad never knew?” Kya asked.

Katara shook her head, “Not as far as I’m aware.”

Bumi got up and hugged his mother. He had no idea what to say to her nor how to absorb all the information she had just revealed.

“You know now why you can’t reveal this to anyone. As far as anyone is aware Izumi is Zuko and Mai’s child. She is the legitimate heir to the throne. If any news came out contradicting that it would put her in danger.” Katara explained.

“We know mum.” Kya said.

“How did you find out anyway?” Katara asked. It was something that had bugged her since her children had confronted her in their home.

“We found out from Izumi.” Tenzin replied.

“What?”

“She knows mum. She knows everything. It appears Zuko kept nothing from his daughter.”

“But…”

“If you’re wondering why he told her, it’s probably to do with the fact that she’s a waterbender.” Bumi answered.

“What?”

“She is. She saved us from an attack. She told us when we were all safe.”

“She’s a waterbender?”

“You didn’t know?”

“No. I, I was never told.”

“At least we know why she pretends to be a non-bender. I can only imagine the scandal that the Fire Lord is a waterbender.” Bumi said jovially.

“Yeah.” Kya chuckled as punched her brother’s arm, “But you do need to speak to her, mum. I think she has questions that only you can answer.”

“But…”

“But, nothing. I think you both need this.”

“You know that we’ll support you in this.” Tenzin added to his sister’s words.

“You’re not mad?”

“Why would we be mad? Sure we don’t like that we didn’t know but it’s nice knowing I have a sister. It’s nice knowing I’m not the only girl anymore.” Kya replied, “But please consider meeting her.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“That’s all we ask. It’ll be nice to have the entire family together.”

* * *

Weeks passed as Katara still hadn’t give her children an answer to their request that they all meet and talk to Izumi and Zuko. Katara didn’t know if she could. It had been so long and she had kept this all so secret that it seemed easier to keep it that way. She had gotten used to it being that way.

Tenzin walked in and found his mother doing chores. He sat down and waited for a break in her actions to speak up. In the meantime he watched her. She was strong for her age but he couldn’t help but feel like she had gifted her life to a man who hadn’t really deserved it. He loved his father and knew that his parents had loved each other but he hadn’t missed the way his mother had looked and sounded as she had spoken of her time with the Fire Lord. It was different from the way she was when she spoke of their father.

“Mum.”

“Sorry Tenzin, I didn’t see you there.”

“That’s alright.”

He got up and hugged his mother before sitting back down.

“Mum, can I ask you something?”

“Of course you can.” She said as she sat down across from him.

“Do you love Zuko?”

“What?”

“I’m sorry if this brings up difficult memories but I just, I felt like I needed to ask.”

“What makes you think that?”

Katara began to feel the same uncomfortable feeling she had weeks ago when her children had confronted her.

“It’s just that, well, you’re different when you recall that time. I haven’t be able to forget about it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your eyes shine and you smile brighter. It’s the most I’ve heard you laugh in a long time. It was nice to see to be honest.”

Tenzin stood up, “Sorry for disturbing you.”

He walked out and left Katara alone with her thoughts. Did she really look so different when she spoke about that time? Was it a noticeable difference from when she spoke about Aang? She had a lot to think about.

Later that night Kya found her looking out across the ocean.

“Tenzin told me he spoke to you.”

“He did.”

“He’s right, you know. You looked different when you recalled that time. You looked happy.”

“Kya.”

“I don’t mean it in a malicious way. I just mean you looked cheerful for the first time in a long time.”

“Why does everyone keep saying that?”

“Because it’s true. Look, mum, we know the look because it’s the same look Tenzin gets on his face when he speaks about his wife and kids.”

Katara didn’t say anything to that and focused on the horizon. She wasn’t ready to confront the emotions that came with accepting what her children were saying as true. She wasn’t sure she’d ever be ready.

“Have you ever thought of going to him?”

Kya’s words broke her concentration. She turned to her daughter.

“Do you?” Kya asked.

Katara opened her mouth to speak but closed it again as she had no idea how to answer. Had she ever thought of going to Zuko? Had she ever entertained the idea of them getting back together?

“You know dad’s been dead for twenty years right? Giving love another chance wouldn’t be betraying him. You’re not some object that he owned or some prize that was exclusively his. You are your own person and you deserve to be happy. Mum, you may not say it but I know you’re bored here. I’ve known it for a long time.”

“Kya.” What could she say to that?

“We all had a talk and agreed that while it would be a bit weird to begin with, first and foremost we want you to be happy. If that’s with Lord Zuko then you shouldn’t deny yourself that. Take a chance mum. Take the chance you didn’t have when you were younger. Live whatever life you have left the happiest you can be. You deserve this.”

Kya then turned to walk away. Before she got too far she turned back around, “But don’t stay out too long.”

Katara rolled her eyes before looking back at the horizon.

It was another two days before she got up the courage to ask Bumi if she could accompany him to Ember Island. They set sail and Katara settled into her quarters. She couldn’t deny the thrill that ran through her at the feeling of the water underneath her and around the ship. She also couldn’t deny the excitement she felt leaving the Southern Water Tribe. It reminded her of her youth and how she had felt leaving for the first time. That now felt like a lifetime ago. She supposed in a way it was. She did have grandchildren now after all.

A knock on the door brought her out of her musings, “Come in.”

The door opened to reveal Bumi, “Hey mum. Settled in okay?”

“Yes thank you. Far better accommodations than the back of a flying bison.” She teased, causing them both to chuckle. Although she spared a thought for Appa. She often missed him.

“Glad you’re okay. I think this is the first time I’ve seen you leave the Southern Water Tribe.”

“I used to be quite the traveller, you know.”

“I know. I heard the stories. But I am glad you’re giving this a chance. At the very least you’ll have a friend back if nothing else.”

Katara smiled but didn’t say anything.

“You know he’ll be glad to see you again.”

Katara kept the smile on her face but tore her gaze away from her son. He suddenly laughed boisterously which caused her to look up.

“I can’t believe I’m setting up my own mother!”

Katara couldn’t help but laugh as well and felt a little lighter. Eventually his laughter died down and he came and sat beside her. He hugged her and sat up.

“You know all we want is for you to be happy, don’t you? Plus it’ll be nice to have an excuse to regularly see my new half-sister. If you and Lord Zuko really do get together it’ll be just the excuse we need to spend more time together. Got to intimidate the potential new stepdad and protect my mum, you know?”

“Bumi!”

“What?”

“That…that’s not, don’t think like that.”

Bumi let out another loud laugh at the blush on his mother’s face. He stood up and kissed the top of his mother’s head, “Just remember you deserve to be happy. Just because you find love with another doesn’t mean you betray dad, or forget him, or that your time with him meant any less. You deserve a life outside of being the Avatar’s wife. I wonder who Katara really is.”

With that he left.

Each of her children’s words echoed in her head. They had clearly had a serious discussion and it gave her peace of mind that they were okay with the idea of being with someone else. She also couldn’t get Bumi’s words out of her head. Who was Katara?

She had played the role of the Avatar’s wife and mother of his children for so long that she found she couldn’t answer his question. Who was she without Aang? Maybe that’s why she had never sought Zuko out before now. She was so used to her identity being tied to Aang’s that she had lost who she was independently of him. It may be a little late but she was going to find out. She found that she really wanted to know the answer to that question.

* * *

She walked along the familiar path on Ember Island. It wasn’t long before she came across a familiar sight. It was the house that they had hidden in during the final weeks of the war and later where she had given birth to her eldest.

Her breath caught for a moment and she could do no more than simply take in the sight. It had been so long since she had been here and she had no idea how much she had missed it. But she missed the companionship this place brought with it. She missed her friends, her brother. She missed the good times they’d had and the fun they’d shared. She couldn’t believe it had all happened so long ago.

She continued her journey towards the house and her nerves grew with each step. Would he want her here? Would he be willing to listen? Would he give her a second chance? Could she tell him everything she had been holding back? Could she tell him the truth?

She saw a dragon tail peek out from the back of the house and knew that Druk was here. She also knew that he rarely moved far from Zuko. So he must be here as well. She took a deep breath and walked around to the side of the house.

She turned a corner and her breath caught again.

There he was.

Zuko sat in the middle of the courtyard with Druk taking up most of the space. He appeared to be meditating which gave her the opportunity to study his appearance. Despite his age he was still handsome. His chiselled face was a welcome sight. His age had caused his scar to become less prominent on his face but he held himself confidently now. She could see that in the set of his shoulders. She remembered the dark brown of his hair, which could also look like the colour of charcoal at times and took in its now snowy white appearance. She assumed his clothes were somewhat formal but they sat on him well. She had to say for a 91 year old he looked very good.

She smoothed down her own clothes and for a moment worried about her own appearance. Would he like how she looked now? She felt silly for wondering but she wanted to make a good impression. This would be the first time she saw him in person in seventy years. How had she let so much time pass?

She took a step forward and stepped on a dried twig causing it to snap. Druk spun around and growled, ready to pounce to protect his master. Zuko’s eyes snapped open and widened when he saw who was in front of him.

“Katara.” He whispered her name as if he couldn’t believe she was really here. To be honest she couldn’t believe it either.

“Zuko.” She stepped out from the side of the house and walked towards him.

He got up and the two met in the middle of the courtyard where they embraced. Their arms wrapped around the other and they both felt tears gather in the corners of their eyes. They couldn’t believe they were finally seeing each other again after so long. It felt like a dream. It didn’t feel real. They held on with all they had and took comfort in the other’s arms for the first time in seventy years.

“I missed you.” Zuko whispered into her hair, as if if he spoke any louder this would all dissolve and he would be alone in the courtyard.

“I missed you too.”

They didn’t know how long they hugged each other but they knew that it was a while. Druk huffed behind them and Zuko pulled away with a laugh.

“Katara, meet Druk. He’s my dragon.”

“Nice to finally meet you Druk. I've heard a lot about you.” She said bowing slightly. Druk eyed her curiously wondering what it was about this person that caused such a reaction in his master. He huffed again and laid his head down on the ground.

Zuko laughed, “Don’t mind him.”

Katara laughed as well. She looked down and realised that they still had their arms around each other. Neither could keep the smile from their faces and both felt happier than they had in a long time.

Later that evening Zuko and Katara got talking over dinner. They caught up on each other’s lives and enjoyed in the company. They talked throughout the evening and Katara couldn’t help but comment on the improvement on his tea. He teased back that Iroh had made sure he knew how to make proper tea before he left this world and that his granddaughter and great-grandchildren were continuing the tradition as they had taken over The Jasmine Dragon. So he had no excuse to be bad at making tea.

Katara had laughed at that before both had taken a moment to remember the wise old man who had helped them so much in their youth. His loss was still felt heavily and he was dearly missed. As was Sokka, Suki and Aang. They had no idea what had happened to Toph but she was also missed.

They talked into the night and it felt good to be around each other again. Zuko showed Katara a spare room and the two went to bed.

Katara woke up the next morning more rested than she had felt in a long time. She got out of bed and made her way to the kitchen but was surprised to find it empty. She made her way outside and found Zuko stood watching the horizon.

“Zuko.”

He hummed in acknowledgement and she stood beside him. She would be lying to herself if she said she wasn’t nervous. What she did next could make or break their relationship. Her hands twitched with the desire to hold his.

“What are you doing here Katara?” His voice held no malice but she could tell there were some nerves there.

“I missed you.” She didn’t miss the way his eyes widened and he briefly looked at her before focusing back on the horizon, “Plus my kids gave me a good talking to about letting things slip away. After they told me they knew about Izumi.”

“They know about Izumi?”

She nodded, “They do. Apparently she saved them with waterbending. She told them after that.”

“I guess she thought they could be trusted.”

“Why didn’t you tell me she could waterbend?”

“We agreed that we would have no contact and any contact we did have would not discuss the truth.”

Katara sighed, “I know. It’s just…”

“I know. Believe me, I understand.”

“She’s done well though.”

Zuko smiled, “She has. She’s a far better ruler than me. Must have gotten that from you.”

Katara laughed, “Flatterer. But the ability to rule she definitely got from you. You've always been better than you thought you were.”

“Thank you.”

Katara could feel a blush on her cheeks and took a deep breath. She also noticed the blush on his cheeks. She reached across the small gap between them and grabbed his hand. He tensed for a moment before relaxing and squeezing her hand back. They stood like that in silence for several minutes as they basked in the sunlight.

“Were they okay with it?” Zuko’s words broke the silence and Katara turned her head to look at him.

“They were. They were more upset that they hadn’t been told the truth. But they seemed more than okay with having an older sister, especially Kya.”

“Good.”

“It would be nice to get them all together. Especially as Izumi now has a fairly large family of her own.”

“That she does. I still can’t believe she has great-grandchildren of her own.”

“Wow! We’re great-great-grandparents.”

“We are.”

“Did you know that her daughter, Ursa, married Toph’s grandson?”

“She didn’t?”

“She did. They have four children. The eldest of which gave birth to twins three months ago.”

“Wow. Two grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. That’s one heck of a family. Sounds insane. And that’s after having three more children and having four grandchildren myself.”

“It is insane but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“No. Neither would I.”

They fell into another period of silence and took comfort in the other’s presence and the thoughts of their families.

“There’s one thing I would change.” Zuko said, breaking the silence for a second time.

“What’s that?”

“I wouldn’t have wasted so much time.”

Katara turned to face him as he raised their joined hands and pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. She blushed and felt like that teenager that had fallen for him all over again. When he put their hands down he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips. He pulled away with a blush and stood up straight.

“That’s the only thing I would change as well.” Katara replied as she reached up and placed a kiss on his cheek.

He smiled down at her and they stared at each other as it dawned on them that this was really happening.

“I really did miss you.” He said in a whisper. _I still love you_ is what he really meant.

“I really missed you too.” _I love you too._

The two heard the unspoken words between them. They shared a smile before turning back towards the house and making their way to breakfast.

Katara felt lighter and more optimistic than she had in a long time. She was finally ready to give this man her whole heart. There would always be a part of her that loved Aang and she could never regret the life they had lived together but she knew that Zuko had captured her heart all those years ago. Her children had been right. She deserved this chance at happiness and considering her years, she was going to take it. She was going to enjoy all the time that she and Zuko had in front of them. Even if she, like him, regretted that they hadn’t done this soon.

She looked forward to the opportunity to get to know the daughter she had given up and to meet the family that she had gained since then. She couldn’t wait for all her children to meet and to get to know each other. She looked forward to their families intertwining. She knew that she would have some good years ahead of her.

* * *

Five years.

Five years. That’s how much time she got with Zuko.

It had been all that she had hoped.

Despite the occasional argument their families had mingled well and got on 99.9% of the time. It was good to see and was made even better when Sokka’s granddaughter had showed up and quickly become a part of the family.

But she had known all along that their time would be limited. They were advanced in age after all and they had lived long lives. But it seemed not even death could separate them now that they had decided to be together. Even if they're time on this Earth had come to an end.

It had been Bumi who had found them.

Everyone was surprised when they hadn’t come down for breakfast on one of the occasions that everyone could make it to Ember Island. Bumi had gone up to check on them and knew instantly what had happened when he entered their room. He found them laying on the bed, facing each other and holding hands, and cold to the touch. They had passed into the Spirit World at the same time during the night in their sleep.

Everyone was thankful that they had gone together but it was painful to realise that they had lost their parents. At least with Aang’s children they had twenty years to mourn their father’s passing before losing their mother. But Izumi had lost both parents in one go.

But their mourning had to be put on hold. The charade has to continue and the truth had to remain hidden. Despite the fact that they knew their parents would want to buried together, they knew it couldn’t happen.

So Zuko was given a Fire Lord’s funeral and the entire Fire Nation mourned at his passing. A nation known for its red clothing become adorned in black for an entire year. The people mourned the loss of one of the greatest Fire Lord’s that had ever existed.

Meanwhile Katara was given a quieter funeral back in the Southern Water Tribe. She was buried with her family and the people of the tribe mourned her as they would anyone else. To the surprise of everyone Izumi had shown up shortly after the funeral itself to pay her respects. The siblings had privately mourned their loss together and had promised to keep in touch. Each was grateful that they had learned the truth and were able to bring their family, however dysfunctional and unconventional it was, together.

So Zuko and Katara remained separated in death as they had been in life. But that didn’t mean they didn’t find each other in the Spirit World.

Which they did. They not only found each other but also those they had lost, missed and wanted to see. They were able to have some more time in the spirit world before they were to be reborn. They just hoped that in the next life they wouldn’t be kept apart as they had been in this life.

**Author's Note:**

> This was something that was in my head ever since I got back into ATLA. I loved the characters in ATLA but hate what they became in LOK. So this is my way of working through that.
> 
> I was also thinking that Katara was about 19-20 when she had Izumi.
> 
> I refuse to believe that Aang would be such a neglectful father and husband as he was shown to be in LOK. I believe is far too good a person to do that. He may be a bit clueless but he's not as bad as they portrayed him to be. I also didn't like what they did to Katara and Sokka. I refuse to believe that Katara would be content as the Avatar's arm candy and trophy wife and didn't like that Sokka was ignored while Suki was forgotten about. As they are our heroes I want to believe they had much better lives than Bryke gave them. I think Zuko got the best out of any of the characters I love but I wish they had received better all around.


End file.
